DSO: The Diva and The Bard
This year has seen the Darwin Symphony Orchestra (DSO) celebrate the life and works of William Shakespeare to commemorate the 400-year anniversary of his death. This second MasterSeries concert sees the DSO present The Diva and The Bard.
By Chelsea Heaney.
No other playwright in history has been more widely set to music or inspired as many compositions as Shakespeare, aka the Bard. For this evening of music, the DSO showcases the wide-reaching inspiration that Shakespeare had on multiple generations of composers and artists. Acclaimed Australian soprano Emma Matthews assumes the ‘Diva’ component of the evening. Matthews’ performances of Verdi’s La Traviata in Darwin and at Uluru in 2013 enchanted DSO patrons and her return to the Darwin stage has undeniably drawn attention.
Matthews is a highly acclaimed and awarded soprano having received more Helpmann Awards than any other individual artist, as well as nine Green Room Awards, the Mo Award and the Remy Martin Australian Opera Award. She is internationally in demand as a soloist and has a wide ranging repertoire that has seen her perform with all the state opera companies and major Australian symphony orchestras. Her international career includes performances at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden and Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo.
The evening’s performance includes Juliette’s waltz from Gounod’s Romeo and Juliet and Bernstein’s adaptation of the well-known tale of those star-crossed lovers West Side Story, as well as highlights from Verdi, Purcell and Vaughan-Williams. DSO Chief Conductor Matthew Wood is currently conducting in Sweden and as such the DSO introduces Darwin audiences to a new maestro, the celebrated British-based Australian conductor Matthew Coorey.
